I was not a big fan of Jasmine Guillory's first book, but I really liked this one a lot better. It seems Guillory has smoothed out the rough or hurried bits of her first book with this one. It's certainly a fun love story inspired by one of those cliche romantic comedy movie moments. Fun and light. Reccomend to adults readers.

For this third venture in the Evagardian tales, we seem to be off to follow a separate thread from the first one that was running in The Admiral and Free Space. There is the sensation that it is all connected without a clear line holding them together. I get the tingling feeling that the series is just getting rolling and what a wild, intensely thrilling, and an intriguing story it is set out there among the stars many years into our future.

So, yes, The Glory of the Empress is the third installment of the Evagardian series. It might seem like it would be okay standalone because it introduces a new set of players into the game, but no, I wouldn’t advise it. I really think the two earlier books along with this one are leading up to something big.

The Glory of the Empress opens with twelve strangers recruited from throughout the Evagardian Military brought together to serve aboard the latest cutting-edge technology in warships. Half came from seemingly unrelated fields. They barely get time to introduce themselves before they’re in the thick of things.

The story narration is from one perspective all the way through. He is wry, observant, and intuitive. For someone who has no combat experience, he does well with each new encounter that is challenging and an edge of your seat thrilling. It wasn’t long before I was asking myself, like with the first book, just who is this man and was he really only an immigration analyst before this. Oh, and there was a mysterious event in his past involving his boss that may or may not be taken at face value.

Okay, speaking of face value, I felt this story was so layered. There are the ongoing sci-fi space battle action plot and a few alien creature moments that got my spine tingling that could be just exactly what it is, but there are layers beneath like someone is orchestrating moves on a chess board way ahead. It’s an interesting feeling.

The reader gets to know to a certain extent the players aboard Lydia Bennett (love this little P&P Easter Egg), but there are three main players Commander Mao, the fighter pilot, and the analyst turned bridge team and support staff for the fighter pilot. Then there are the pirates and some refugees to toss into the mix when the crew of the Lydia Bennett learns quickly that their mission is only the tip of the iceberg out in this remote section of space. They’re up against a cunning defector who helped develop and knows all the innovations and strategies for making war with the Lydia Bennett and her tech.

In the end, there are a series of climactic scenes that had me holding my breath and swiping pages fast enough to leave a jet trail on my Kindle. Those who want fantastic sci-fi action and an impressive series building itself toward an even bigger end should not hesitate to pick these books up. Fair warning, there might be some addiction involved if you discover they are to your taste.

The third installment in the Evagardian series begins with twelve new characters that are gathered together from different careers to serve on the empires newest most technologically advanced ship.Before they even get a chance to introduce each other they are thrown into a wartime situation. Most have had minimal training but fortunately they all seem to be able to think fast and adapt on the fly. This is a thrilling space battle often hard to put down. There is intriguing technology, some space aliens, pirates, spies and the vast emptiness of space. The book seems to evoke a welcomed continuation of the series.

<a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2018/05/01/glory-of-the-empress-by-sean-danker/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart</a>

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.<p style="text-align: left;">I loved <strong>The Admiral,</strong> the first book in the <em><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/176476-evagardian" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evagardian series.</a>  </strong></em>It was a good introduction to the world with four people stranded who didn't know each other. It was smart. The plot was clear - survival - but very fascinating as the world developed and also learning about the characters. The Admiral, capable and with a subtle humor, was a mystery and fun. For the most part, politics is viewed in the background as they are isolated.
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Free Space</strong> is the same but very different.  We again have four main characters, two of them we know, sort of.  This adventure brings in more planets and more politics. Here I can't tell the good guys or the bad guys really. People are more or less in it for themselves? I liked the strong women, but had some angst over seeing the Admiral as somewhat helpless.
<p style="text-align: left;">In <strong>The Glory of the Empress</strong>, I was bogged down at the beginning just trying to figure out the new people and what is happening.  This was pared down to the twelve people on the Lydia Bennett, a new type of fighter ship. One of these is definitely from Free Space.
<p style="text-align: left;">The action is fast and fun. I enjoyed the story and the sense of humor in it.  I went back and looked at the first two books to see if I could understand certain things. I also revisited this <a href="http://www.sffworld.com/2017/04/interview-with-free-space-author-sean-danker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>interview</em></a> which was around the time of<strong> Free Space</strong>, book 2. Sean Danker has totally succeeded in keeping things moving fast and always having me guessing.
I relished the technology in the spaceships. I always enjoy the strategy of the battles. There was plenty of this to appreciate. I was just confused about the people and the politics in some aspects.

I think I may not be smart enough for this series, at least I am not sure I am grasping the overall arc yet. This is the halfway point. Since I am being entertained by each one, I'll keep reading!

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<blockquote>"That, or they're intelligent aliens that are doing this to punish me because of what I did on my sixteenth birthday," Mao muttered.

"What did you do?" Bjorn asked.

"It's embarassing, but I blew something up."

Bjorn raised an eyebrow. "I never took you for a New Unity type."

"What? No. It was an accident."

"Oh, so you weren't a terrorist. Just an idiot," he said, turning back to his console. "That's a relief."</blockquote>
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